The Meaning of Jeremiah 51:18 Explained

Jeremiah 51:18

KJV: They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

YLT: Vanity are they -- work of errors, In the time of their inspection they perish.

Darby: They are vanity, a work of delusion: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

ASV: They are vanity, a work of delusion: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

They [are] vanity,  the work  of errors:  in the time  of their visitation  they shall perish. 

What does Jeremiah 51:18 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 51

1  The severe judgment of God against Babylon, in revenge of Israel
59  Jeremiah delivers the book of this prophecy to Seraiah, to be cast into Euphrates,
64  in token of the perpetual sinking of Babylon

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 51:18 mean?

Futile they [are] a work of errors in the time of their punishment they shall perish
הֶ֣בֶל הֵ֔מָּה מַעֲשֵׂ֖ה תַּעְתֻּעִ֑ים בְּעֵ֥ת פְּקֻדָּתָ֖ם יֹאבֵֽדוּ

הֶ֣בֶל  Futile 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: הֶבֶל  
Sense: vapour, breath.
הֵ֔מָּה  they  [are] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
מַעֲשֵׂ֖ה  a  work 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מַעֲשֶׂה  
Sense: deed, work.
תַּעְתֻּעִ֑ים  of  errors 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: תַּעְתֻּעִים  
Sense: errors, delusions.
בְּעֵ֥ת  in  the  time 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, common singular construct
Root: עֵת  
Sense: time.
פְּקֻדָּתָ֖ם  of  their  punishment 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: פְּקֻדָּה  
Sense: oversight, care, custody, mustering, visitation, store.
יֹאבֵֽדוּ  they  shall  perish 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.